Tattoo artists, shop owners sound off on new safety rules

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COSTA MESA The sounds of buzzing tattoo machines and rock music will fill the Orange County fairgrounds this weekend for the sixth annual Musink Tattoo Convention and Music Festival, the first since a new state law put stricter safety regulations on the booming body-art industry.

The biggest change will be meeting the requirement that tattoo or piercing booths have hand-washing stations, even if it's a large water bottle and bucket. A medical equipment company is required to be hired to pick up used tattoo needles. And each of the 300 artists expected must have been cleared by an Orange County health agency and acquired a permit.

The regulations in the bill that Gov. Jerry Brown signed last year, which went into effect in July, are an attempt to protect people receiving tattoos from infectious diseases such as hepatitis B.

Since then, some local artists have begun raising prices on services and leaving professional shops because of the new standards, which require annual government permits, health classes and costlier disposable materials.

Tommy Tetreault, owner of Tommy T's Body Piercing in Huntington Beach, said that the higher prices come from more complex safety procedures.

“We didn't know anything about anything. We were learning (piercing) on our own,” Tetreault said. “If you're (sanitizing) everything the way you're supposed to be doing it, you have to charge more.”

Bill Hardie, founder and promoter of Musink, said in an email that meeting the new requirements has not posed a problem.

“We adhered to all the new health requirements, while taxing and expensive, and 100 percent support better health and safety requirements,” he wrote. “I know that sounds odd, but you're getting a tattoo, open skin, blood, needles. We want the best environment for people who attend our event. We are already the cleanest and most sanitary festival around.”

SAFETY BODY ACT

Attempts at stronger regulation are not new. Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed multiple bills before Brown signed one, said Pearl Boelter, a manager with Orange County Environmental Health, the government agency overseeing Orange County body-art shops.

Before the law was passed, cross-contamination and unsafe procedures were practiced in some shops because of a lack of education, Tetreault said.

“There had to have been diseases spread because of that,” he said. “Hopefully, that will get better in the upcoming years.”

Boelter said because of the new act, the health department now has the enforcement tools to prevent unsafe work environments.

Before the Safety Body Art Act, California did not have a uniform process to evaluate body-modification shops; 12 Orange County cities and the unincorporated areas had ordinances.

Artists now have to obtain a Body Art Technician permit from the county agency, which has to be renewed annually for $39. Before the act, artists paid a one-time registration fee of $25.

To be approved, an artist must be at least 18, complete two hours of infectious-disease training and provide hepatitis B immunization records or a waiver of immunization.

Tetreault, who began studying occupational safety in 2000, was asked by the county to hold regular classes for artists seeking disease training.

“Most artists really want to learn, at least the new ones,” he said. “Some of the older ones don't have much of an educational background, so it's more of a struggle.”

In his classes, Tetreault goes through PowerPoint slides about proper sterilization steps and information on HIV and hepatitis. Artists must take the classes every year to renew their permits.

Body-art businesses also must renew their health permits every year after passing inspection.

Currently, 367 artists have been licensed in Orange County and 153 shops have requested permits, though only 51 have received them because they have not all been inspected, said Boelter, who added that the department hopes to have all shops inspected by the end of the year.

SHOP OWNERS DIVIDED

Frank Tran, owner of Eighth Element Tattoo in Fountain Valley, said that his shop has not been inspected, but he asked health agency inspectors to come. He said he hopes that safety regulations become stricter over time because he says that all body-art shops should be held accountable for being clean and protected.

“Peace of mind is priceless,” Tran said. “I want to go home and be able to hug my kid knowing he's safe.”

Under the new ordinance, Tran has to require that tattoo artists in his shop use disposable equipment and approved ink brands.

Phil Myers, a tattoo artist at Sick Dogs Tattoo in Westminster, said most professional tattoo shops already were operating under the safety measures and he has not had to raise prices for services. He says the ordinance was enacted for government profit.

“They've just created extra hoops for us to jump through. It's fees on top of fees,” Myers said.

Steven Riggs, owner of Beauty and the Ink, a hybrid hair salon and tattoo studio in Lake Forest, agrees with Myers that the ordinance seems like a reason for financial gain in a newly popular and profitable industry.

“It just seems like California has its hands in your pockets,” he said. “There's a lot more money in the tattoo business now.”

Inc. Magazine estimated in 2007 that the U.S. tattoo industry was worth more than $2 billion, and a Harris Poll reported a 7 percent increase in tattooed adults since 2008, up to 21 percent in 2012.

Riggs said because of the necessary permitting for artists, many have shied away from working in his shop to avoid classes and fees.

“It's a lot different than the way things once were,” Riggs said.

Myers and Riggs said that instead of focusing on professional tattoo shops, the health department should be putting effort into shutting down illegal at-home tattoo operations advertised for low prices online.

“If they're going to ask us to pay those fees, then they need to pay attention to the people who are really spreading the disease,” Myers said. “I go on Craigslist a couple times a week and see tons of posts. All (inspectors) need to do is book an appointment.”

Boelter said the department is working on sending standardized letters to code violators working outside regulated shops and can fine individuals between $25 and $100.

Jorge Enrique Quiroz, 25, of Costa Mesa said that he got his first tattoo when he was 17 and since then has been tattooed at home and in professional shops.

“Usually a house tattoo is not as good as a professional,” Quiroz said. “You pay a lot more at tattoo shops because of their name and credibility.”

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